


Damned survival training

by lokilenchen



Series: Trektober 2020 [15]
Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, M/M, Survival Training, cuddling for warmth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:59:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27031555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lokilenchen/pseuds/lokilenchen
Summary: Leonard was developing a strong hatred for Starfleet and for whoever thought cadets needed something like survival training, because this was ridiculous, no one would ever endure this on away missions anyway.Trektober Day 15 (Cuddling for Warmth)
Relationships: James T. Kirk/Leonard "Bones" McCoy
Series: Trektober 2020 [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2168697
Comments: 4
Kudos: 45
Collections: Trektober 2020





	Damned survival training

Leonard was developing a strong hatred for Starfleet and for whoever thought cadets needed something like survival training, because this was ridiculous, no one would ever endure this on away missions anyway.

Jim and Leonard were in their second year in the academy when they got the notification sent to their PADDs that they had to go to survival training off planet for one week. Starfleet had built a holodeck as big as an arena on an uninhabited planet in the alpha quadrant, where they could simulate all the situations Starfleet officers could undergo during missions up in space.

That’s how they found themselves in a shuttle with ten others, equipped only with what Starfleet deemed necessary, Leonard desperately clutching at Jim’s hand hoping that not only the shuttle ride but also their week spent in the arena would already be over.

Three days had passed in which they had been separated from the rest of the group, which was pretty much from the beginning of the mission. In these three days Leonard had to patch Jim up multiple times, in which they had through the jungle-like landscape by unnatural hot temperatures and were chased by simulated humanoid aliens with spears. 

But all the past days were nothing compared to this day, the fourth day, that left Leonard with the prominent urge to strangle the man or woman who sat behind the controls of this holodeck. 

This madman unleashed some crazy, monstrous alien creature on them, that was resisted to their phaser blasts. It was hot on their trail throughout the ever same circle Jim made them run.

“Dammit Jim what’s going on in that big head of yours, we’re running in fucking circles,” Leonard shouted, trying to keep up with him, getting more and more exhausted with the time, especially with the survival pack on his back.

“Believe it or not I have a plan,” Jim called back. “Remember the last junction by the funny looking red shrub?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Well, you’ll have to distract, missy behind us with running another round and I’ll build a trap in the meantime,” Jim explained, still sprinting, the red bush coming in sight.

“You’re freaking mad,” Leonard grunted, slowing his pace and searching for something on his backpack to throw at the beast.

The thing was pretty close and Leonard threw his sleeping back, diverting the things glance off of Jim and directing it on himself, before he started running again. 

Another lap and the alien creature still chasing him he passed the red plant, Jim nowhere in sight. Suddenly a big branch came crashing down on the monster and something exploded, knocking out their chaser. 

Jim jumped out of a tree, took Leonard’s hand and dragged him far away from the alien.

“What the hell was that?” The brunette asked.

“I modified my phaser to explode on impact and I hope that’s enough for these idiots controlling this to leave us alone.”

“I hope so too, if I get my fingers on these people, I’ll tell them what exactly I think of their idea of survival training,” Leonard angrily ranted.

After what felt like hours they reached a rock structure that offered some shelter. Sitting down for the first time in a long while Leonard let out a sigh of relief.

“You alright, Bones?” Jim asked, stepping in between Leonard’s legs and cupping his face.

“Just peachy,” Leonard grumbled, leaning his forehead against Jims, ignoring that the both of them were covered in sweat and dirt, due to the running and the still extremely hot temperatures.

Jim closed the small distance between them and pressed a short kiss on Leonard’s lips.

“It’s just three more days, we’ve already made over half of it and it could be far worse.”

He should have never said that. Moments later the sun set and the temperatures went down with it.

In mere seconds it was so cold that their breath came in little condensed puffs. 

The low temperatures added to their already extreme tiredness. Jim took out his sleeping bag, while Leonard took the precautions needed for the night. 

Relatively covered from possible dangers from the holodeck jungle, they snuggled together in the blonde’s sleeping bag.

Arms slung around each other, Leonard let the warmth of Jim relax his cold and sore limbs. The occasional shivers that ripped through his body were stopped by Jim tangling their legs together and by the warming circles Jim rubbed into his back, arms and any other body part he could reach. 

His numb and cold face was kissed back to a rosy pink. A gesture Leonard returned without hesitation. 

“I love you,” Jim breathed and it warmed Leonard’s heart and with that his whole inside.

“I love you, too,” Leonard answered hoping it would have the same result on Jim.

When the feeling had returned to most of his body parts he carefully kneaded the warmth back into Jim’s limbs, simultaneously checking him for possible injuries and being happy to find none.

After they had warmed one another up again they fell asleep; their shared body heat bringing them through the night rather than the sleeping bag.

The following nights were spent in a similar way, cuddling each other to warmth until they could sleep.

And with each night’s dropping temperatures, Leonard became more and more sure the people controlling the simulation just wanted to see them smuggle. Even though he had nothing against cuddling with Jim, loved cuddling with Jim nearly as much as he loved Jim in general, he just wanted to do that in a bed in the private of their dorm room and not on some fake stone floor somewhere on another planet.

Finally after the seven days were over and they were told they had been the only ones out of the group to successfully complete the survival training they were sent back to the academy.

Only now Leonard realized how grateful he could be for the shitty bed he had in the academy. Still he would trade every bed in the world to have Jim lying next to him forever and then some longer.


End file.
